The Dieting Mind

I've been on a diet my whole life. Ever since I can remember. And when I wasn't on a diet, it was because I was in a "Oh, just be fat and happy" stage. But , I was never happy about being fat, which ultimately led me to whatever the latest and greatest diet fad was to go on. It was a vicious cycle and often self-defeating. The most success I ever had dieting was a 30 lb. loss and that was acheived through a "doctor supervised" diet of deprivation (no sugar, no bread, no oil, no alcohol) along with a side of Phen-Fen to go with it. How crazy is that? Well, in times of desperation, nothing's crazy. Every false promise of weight loss following some ridiculous program, I believed. I was willing to try it all, each time believing, wholeheartedly, that this "diet du jour" would be the answer to it all. Low carb, low cal, Grapefruit diet, 3 Day Diet, Atkins, Nutrisystem; I tried them all and more. Each diet had it's long list of rules and regulations, stipulations, food choices (good and bad) and combinations. I would absorb it all like I was studying for a big-time exam and prepared myself to follow all the rules, which I would always do. Until I fell off the wagon. That usually led to inhaling all the foods on the "don'ts" list in epic proportions.



I have thought about this mindset of a dieter a lot lately. Why do we need lists and rules and do's and don'ts when it comes to eating?? Really, isn't that absurd? I'm starting to believe so, but I think I know why we need them: we don't trust ourselves enough around food. The temptations are everywhere; the outside influences are strong to lead us to the dark side of excess. But, if we truly listen to our bodies and just feed our bodies to function while still enjoying what we are eating, it's got to be "the answer" , don't you think? It's definitely worth a try =)



On to the food...



I was a bit sore this morning from some weight lifting yesterday, so I decided to forego my regular morning workout and thought I might visit my long lost friend Wii Fit later. I got right to breakfast - a whole wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin topped with 2 tbsp. PB2...







Then I spent some time fiddling with Twitter. I am such a novice at this techy stuff, but it was fun fooling with it all! I finally broke myself away so the daughters and I could head over to my MIL's for lunch with our Aunt and cousins who were visiting from Texas. My MIL ordered Italian hoagies from our favorite place, John's Village Market. So good...




There was also a delicious macaroni salad made by my SIL...

along with bowls of nuts, pretzels and assorted peppers. I chose to eat one of the sandwiches with a few sweet peppers and a scoop of the macaroni salad. I took my time and enjoyed every bite...

Out came the dessert next. I made a flourless chocolate walnut pie (sorry, I forgot to take a pic - *think* fudgy dense brownie). We also had raisin spice cake, homemade oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies and bowls of chocolates everywhere. I didn't have a thing. No, I didn't have a fever. I just checked in with myself and realized that I was very satisfied with my lunch. It was tasty and full of flavor. Definitely not the healthiest choice, but it was the offering on the table and instead of feeling scared to eat it or denying myself, I ate what I needed to be satisfied and enjoyed it. No need to eat more than that. I hear you saying, "who is this lady and what did she do with Marisa?" =)

For dinner, I was definitely craving some fruit and veg. I opted for both! I made a tomato, cucumber and mozzarella salad...

and a fruit salad...

and had a light, but filling dinner...

I know my posts have been extremely long; thanks for hanging in there if you made it to the end! It feels good to be able to share my thoughts with you all as I try out this new way of eating life and I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too!

Oops, way past my bedtime...have a great night!

Shore Debauchery

Hi All! I'm back from the shore and it's pretty late, so I'll be quick. Well, the weather this weekend was absolutely beautiful which allowed for a lovely time at the beach and pool. We soaked in the sun and had lots of delicious eats. I allowed myself to eat whatever and boy, did I! I went a little crazy on the cheese; my Mom had brought an amazing array of imported Italian specialty cheeses and I made sure to do my fair tasting! On a healthy note, I did keep up with my exercise which included bike riding (probably about 10 miles), a little extra walking and C&K's 10 Minute Strength Challenge that I am participating in this month (it's a great workout - check it out!). But, I woke up this morning determined to get back on track and not let the debauchery continue! I eased my way back beginning with a breakfast of 1/2 bagel with Laughing Cow Light Cheese, 1 oz. smoked salmon and a side of fruit salad...



Then a 30 minute bike ride with my Dad before hitting the pool...


After sloshing in the pool, I came in for a quick lunch before packing up and heading home. I made a wrap with some leftover beef tenderloin, baby arugula and 1 oz. of Gorgonzola Dolce (from Italy) and a crunchy apple to go with it...

I brought one of my Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffins for a snack in the car...

I got home just in time to take a quick shower and head out with the husband for a little date. We stopped at Cosi Restaurant for dinner. I ordered my new fave sandwich , Fire Roasted Veggie, with a side of baby carrots...

We browsed around Borders Bookstore and went for a walk at a local trail before heading back to tuck the daughters in bed. Now, it's our turn to tuck in! Relaxing is very tiring ;P

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! See you tomorrow =)

Too Many Leftovers To Count

We have so many leftovers from the bbq yesterday! My fridge is stocked full. I did give some away to family as they left, but we are still filled to the brim. I decided, in order to go through some of the leftovers, that I would eat what we have without driving myself batty trying to figure out POINTS for everything. Scary, I know. I am entering dangerous territory here. I equate not counting POINTS (or even calories for that matter) with being "off program". Off program = weight gain. Or does it? Can I do this? Can I not count what I am eating and still lose weight? I'm not sure. Especially with these leftovers! But, it is an idea I have been toying with for a while. I don't think I am completely sold on my ability to do it yet. I haven't made goal YET and I don't want to change up anything drastically until I get there. But, for today at least, I "forgot" about counting and started on Operation: Fridge Clear-out.

Breakfast was 1/2 c. of nonfat greek yogurt and 1 c. of leftover fruit salad...



Lots of lounging went on today. It was so relaxing after all the running around I have been doing the last week! I decided to not do any formal exercise today. It kinda felt good to take a day off.


Lunch was leftover Sundried Tomato and Pesto Turkey Burger and those amazing Greek lima beans. I have to try and recreate these! They are so good! I had a full cup of those and thankfully, I have about 1 more serving left, so you will be seeing them again. I decided to go bunless for the burger and topped it with a slice of Parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp. bruschetta...

The remainder of the afternoon was spent polishing nails and toes (mine and the daughters'), then jumping on the trampoline. The husband set up the hose at the top of the safety netting and turned it on "mist" so we all got misted with the water while we jumped around in our bathing suits. It was fun and a great way to cool off on this hot and humid day.

We stopped jumping for bit to enjoy a nice cool treat...

Dinner was leftover hot dogs and burgers for the husband and daughters. I opted for the remainder of the eggplant parmesan and a side of Italian green bean and potato salad...

After dinner, we played badminton in the yard. We suck. Well, at least the daughters and I do! The poor husband was waiting so patiently to be able to get a volley going. We were lucky we got it over the net! We kept missing it and the game ended with me running so athletically to slam the shuttlecock that I overswung and landed flat on my face. I banged up my knee and was rolling around on the ground holding it, half laughing and half crying! The husband and daughters were on the ground hysterical laughing at my wonderous athleticism. Yep, I definitely put the "bad" in badminton ;P

No formal dessert tonight, although they are quite a few of those leftovers that I would like to dig into! I did have a few bites of chocolate mousse cake when getting it out for the daughters and thankfully, they finished the rest of that!

I think I'm ready to get back to counting tomorrow. We made a good dent in the tough stuff today, so tomorrow should be easier to figure out. Hopefully the scale won't "figure out" that I haven't been counting :)

Have a great night!